The present invention is directed generally to a new pesticidal composition, other than a rodenticidal composition, which is a mixture of raw dried sweet corn as a natural palatable inert ingredient and an effective active ingredient. The invention may be an insecticidal composition, a nematicidal composition, or a miticidal composition upon use of an insecticide, nematicide and miticide, respectively, as the active ingredient.
Applicant is the owner of U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,923, issued Mar. 28, 1989, entitled Sweet Corn Based Rodenticide. Efficacy tests of the patented rodenticide have shown it to be an effective and commercially significant product. Much of the effectiveness is attributed to the use of mature dried sweet corn as a substantial portion of the inert ingredient thereof. The inert sweet corn ingredient has proven to be a superior attractant.
Rodents are only one form of pest which pesticides are formulated to exterminate. Other pests include insects, nematodes and mites for which specific pesticides are provided and referred to as insecticides, nematicides and mitacides, respectively.
These and other types of pests cause substantial economic problems for agriculture, and, therefore, the public generally, if not controlled. Pesticides are a significant cost factor for crop producing farmers. The effectiveness and resultant cost efficiency of a given pesticide are controlling factors in pesticide selection. Crop losses in fields infested with insects, nemitodes or mites often make the difference between a profit and loss for a particular crop. Diseases transmitted by pests endanger the health of infested animals. Finally, uncontrolled infestations of pests generally results in further proliferation of the pests and a worsening of the problems associated with them.
One method of controlling a pest population is by using pesticides. Many different pesticides have been devised and made commercially available to date. A pesticide includes an inert food base, an active ingredient and various additives. Such grains as field corn and oats have been used as ingredients of pesticide food bases. "Field corn", or the botanical term Zea Mays is intended to refer to the various types of grains which are normally grown for feeding livestock, such as yellow dent corn, flint corn and soft corn and, in some cases, grain sorghum. Likewise, field corn is to be distinguished from the vegetable sweet corn which is referred to by its botanical name Zea Mays Saccharata and by International Feed No. 40297.
Known pesticides have certain limitations, however, relating primarily to effectiveness and stability. Vegetables generally have been considered as unsuitable ingredients for pesticides because of short shelf life. Pesticides are typically subjected to storage stability tests wherein a batch of the pesticide is tested periodically such as monthly over a one (1) year period to determine if the food base is shelf stable and if the active ingredient is still active.
Pesticide acceptance depends upon a combination of texture, taste and odor. Whereas, odor can help attract certain pests to a bait, the final test of consumption is the palatability of the material determined by its taste and texture.
A common solution for improving pesticides is to include additives. Additives may be included for many different reasons which often result in increased acceptance of the pesticide. Additives may include an odor-producing attractant, binders for holding the bait particles together, coloring agents, emetics for causing non-target animals to regurgitate the bait, enhancers such as sugar, preservatives and, to a limited extent, potentiating agents. Such additives may increase manufacturing costs without an attendant increase in the acceptance rate for the pesticide product.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved pesticidal composition.
Another object is to provide a pesticidal composition which is highly effective for pest control.
Another object is to provide such an improved pesticidal composition in the form of insecticidal, nematicidal and miticidal compositions.
Another object is to provide a pesticidal composition which is simple and economical to formulate and produce.
Another object is to provide a pesticidal composition which uses dried natural sweet corn as the inert ingredient thereof.
Another object is to provide a highly effective pesticidal composition which is free of additives.
Another object is to provide a relatively safe pesticidal composition for which a known antidote is available for the active ingredient thereof.
Finally, an object of the invention is to provide an improved pesticidal composition which is simple in formulation, economical to produce an effective in operation.